A gamble on hope
by wayofthepen
Summary: Razer doesn't hesitate to attack the creators of the forbidden zone when he hears of the manhunter's attack on the blue lantern homeworld. But the same blue light of hope that promises victory for his allies renders his red ring useless and unable to help when the others are threatened. There is nothing he can do...until Saint Walker offers him a new direction in life.


"EMOTION DETECTED."

The flat intonation was the closest things these robots had to a war-cry. It was nowhere near as impressive as some of the things Razer had heard shouted at him over the years, but it lent itself well to the manhunter's relentless, single-minded advance.

He really would have preferred hearing promises to spill his internal organs or grant some other horrible demise. It was getting hard to stay mad after so long into the monotonous task of breaking apart these oversized wind-up toys. When he'd received a message from Hal Jordan and been told about the manhunters, Razer didn't hesitate to heed the call. What the manhunters wanted on Odym was beyond him, but a shot at those responsible for the desolation of the Forgotten Zone was not something he could pass up.

Having his ring suddenly cease functioning and crashing into the underbrush was something he could have done without.

The being that floated into view after Razer finished spitting leaves out of his mouth, even less so.

"Hello brother. I'm glad to have the chance to see you again."

"I can't say I feel the same way. There's a battle going on and I _need_-"

"There is always conflict. And it is never needed."

"I don't care to debate philosophy with you right now. The manhunters are trying to tear this world apart and kill everyone on it! I will NOT allow that to happen!"

"My friends are assisting Hal and his allies as we speak. I thought we might take this chance to continue our conversation."

Razer's reply was a wordless snarl. He turned, finding his bearings and began pushing through the vegetation, stomping and kicking his way through the greenery as Saint Walker floating serenely behind. The sheer effort Razer expended in trying to ignore the floating blue lantern made for an intensely awkward silence that he was almost grateful to hear broken.

"It's good to hear that from you."

"Hear what?"

"That you are thinking of others. That you are not here merely for simple vengeance."

"The Manhunters destroyed the Forgotten Zone. I would not wish that fate on anyone else and the simplest way to prevent more destruction is to tear every single one of them limb from limb!"

"And what would that accomplish?"

_You think more fighting will help?_

"WHAT?!" Razer whirled on the blue lantern, trying to draw power from his ring, blue lantern or no blue lantern. "How can you say that? Your world is burning! Your friends may be dying, and you float there doing nothing!"

"No, brother. I hope. Look beyond the struggles of today. Killing everyone you call your enemy will not bring you peace."

"You'd be surprised."

"Do you truly believe that? Did taking up the Red Ring bring you happiness? What can be built from bloodshed and hate?"

_Our people need teachers, and doctors, and builders!_

Razer flinched at the memory, and turned away. He pressed forwards and soon caught the faintest sight of battle in the far distance.

_I will gain power…_

"I will not allow the Manhunters to kill more innocent people. And I can't do that because of the interference from your ring!"

…_and protect everyone…_

"How long can one live like that? A slave to fury, always looking for another enemy to fuel your hate?"

"Rage is my weapon! Do you expect me to stop the Manhunters armed with nothing but wishful thinking?"

"No, brother. I want you to hope."

Saint Walker floated downwards, his aura fading away as he approached.

"Hope guides us towards something greater. It supports the Will that allows us to carry out our vision for a better tomorrow. Rage creates nothing. It destroys everything, including, inevitably, those who wield it. You, brother, have great rage in your heart. But I believe you also have the capacity for something greater."

He held out his hand, and Razer saw the tiny thing offered to him. The sounds of battle grew more intense, and over his shoulder, Razer could see the faint silhouette of a familiar green-and-white form.

…_especially, the ones I care about most…_

* * *

Aya had adapted her combat software for operations in her humanoid shell, and the routines were absorbing every spare scrap of processing power to keep her alive. The manhunters didn't seem to consider her a priority target, but after a certain point the androids seemed to finally label her threat. They were smart enough to identify the power-amplifying effect of the blue lanterns and worked hard, and eventually succeeded, at pushing her out of their range of influence.

Outdated as they were, they were built purely for combat. Her shell was not.

They hemmed her in with sheer numbers, sacrificing dozens to secure every possible escape vector. A pair of them slammed bodily into her, grabbing and immobilizing her arms, and servos whined and fought just to keep her limbs attached.

A trio of manhunters leveled their weapons at her. She couldn't find a way out. There was no one close enough to help her. All projections led to…

The manhunter before her raised their weapons. All optics were locked on her, and Aya's sensors registered an unknown form of sensor scanning her systems.

"EMOTION DETE-"

A stream of flame reduced the speaker to carbonized scrap. Aya twisted in the hold, trying to see where the blast came from. Far above, Razer glowed like a miniature sun, wreathed in red flames.

"It…is called…RAGE!"

The red sun fell, smashing into the Manhunters that were targeting her. He turned and flew towards her, rage-constructs tearing off the heads of those that held her and adding to the piles of debris on the forest floor.

Razer screamed in purest, primal anger. A clumsy backhand incinerated an approaching manhunter and a vicious overhand swing tore another two out of the air. He burned in a way Aya had not seen since his confrontation with Atrocitus, seething, tensed, and seeing nothing but the enemy before him.

"Razer?"

Razer snap-turned, his ring raised and glowing with power. He looked straight through her, firing a blast of flame dangerously close to her head at a manhunter that had been sneaking up from behind. It was several long seconds before he seemed to realize she was even there.

"Thank you, Razer."

"I…I saw that you were in trouble, and…I'll clear a path for you. Get back to Hal and the blue lanterns."

"It is unlikely you will survive fighting alone."

"I won't be able to help with the blue lanterns in proximity, and you'll need the power boost. I'll manage."

"No. I will not leave you alone."

The phantom flames surrounding him flickered and died. Razer said nothing, his eyes widening in...surprise? Silent seconds passed, before more manhunters came into view and Aya floated to his side, charging her emitters. Razer's ring flared once again.

Every manhunter that moved to attack Razer died.

Every manhunter that moved to attack Aya died _painfully._

* * *

"It's unfortunate that he did not take your offer."

From his seat, Ganthet looked down at the motley crew of the _Interceptor, _an eclectic mix of green, red, and white. It was good to see them again, but the nav-computer that now sported a battered humanoid shell that was currently leaning on Razer for support that was of particular curiosity.

"He is weary of his anger and pain, but cannot yet allow himself see a better way."

An unclaimed blue ring lay on the table between them. So many people had grown to care about Razer. He had only just begun to realize it, clinging stubbornly to the agonies he knew so well, fearful of what new pain that new connections and an open heart might bring.

Razer and Kilowog were arguing again. The bolovaxian was levitating a fractured manhunter skull and pretending to speak through it. Razer blasted the scrap with an offhand gesture, and the backwash left Kilowog's face smeared with soot and ready to throttle the red lantern, if Hal wasn't holding him back.

"But I believe he will."

Something sparked on Aya's left leg, and she stumbled as the part disconnected. Razer lifted her into his arms and carried her towards the interceptor, ignoring Aya's protests over his own injuries.

"Not today, perhaps. But soon."


End file.
